"He has a strong work ethic, collaborates well with others and goes above ad beyond to excel in his academic courses," Zapico said.

Some of Otero's school activities include the National Honor Society, soccer, cross country and track. He said he's interested in studying chemistry or chemical engineering at MIT.

School district officials said less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT, on average, earn a top score. The district said 2,235 out of nearly 2.1 million high school graduates for the class of 2016 who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.

This isn't a first for the Jefferson Parish school system, which had two other students from Haynes Academy score a 36 on the ACT.